


Chasing the Kidnapped

by AryaEverheart, astrothsknot, LightsaberWeildingDalek



Series: Facing the Tide [1]
Category: The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher, The Dresden Files Roleplaying Game
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bechdel Test Pass, Gen, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, Out of Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-06-26 20:06:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15670374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AryaEverheart/pseuds/AryaEverheart, https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrothsknot/pseuds/astrothsknot, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightsaberWeildingDalek/pseuds/LightsaberWeildingDalek
Summary: Alternate Universe of the Dresden Files series, following the actions of a group of people trying to do their best (or worst).





	1. A Beginning of Sorts

**Author's Note:**

> This is a multi author work, based on a role play campaign that we have just begun.
> 
> Canon diverging from White Night (Book 9).

# A Beginning of Sorts

## Amelia's POV

Well this was great. Queen Mab had been in contact with me, her Winter Knight, to advise me of a threat to her power. I suppose you need to know who I am, my name is Amelia Young, or Amy to my friends... and at least one of my bosses. I am Queen Mab's Winter Knight, her hit person and her hand in the mortal world, I kill those she cannot. She had wanted a Warden of the White Council, one Harry Dresden, but instead she took me. I was a Changeling of her Court already, and unlike the wizard, I wasn't going to talk back. Well not much at any rate. My time among the mortals, among the Outfit, had changed me. Yes, I am also a member of Baron John Marcone's crew, one of his problem solvers.

What was this job that the Queen of Air and Darkness? There was a half breed shape shifter causing problems. It had been attacking some of her people, a few mortals, and whoever else the part Naagloshii thought to kill. It wouldn't do. Sadly this meant that I couldn't take the job that Baron Marcone had on offer. My consort, and Queen, came first. It still irked me that the Baron had to outsource to another problem solver though. 

It just so happened that I met up with Alyssa Jackson. She was a well known monster hunter, and she had been hired as my replacement on the hunt that Baron Marcone had wanted me to take on. It turned out that she, too, was hunting a part Naagloshii in Chicago. It seemed that I could have taken on both cases and not been in violation of either contract in doing so. We agreed to join forces on the hunt, after all two sets of eyes were better than one, especially when it came to shape shifters.

Tracking it was harder than we expected. In the end we didn't find it. It found us. Before we could get the jump on it, with Alyssa's weapons, and my magic, it had rounded on us. Alyssa was the first to be batted away, getting scratched by the half breed before it rounded on me. I wasn't done my spell yet! It instead grabbed my wrist, and I heard a cracking of the bones, I felt the sharp pain, stabbing through the mantle of the Winter Knight, it then hoisted me up by the wrist, sharply enough that I felt my shoulder dislocate. 

Even if I could have done a spell, my concentration was shot, and especially so since I felt iron coated claws scrape across my belly, one cutting through most of my abdominal wall, enough so some of my guts started leaking out of the opening. I thought I was no longer for this world when I heard Alyssa's gun fire. Once. Twice. Then I passed out from the sheer agony that I was in. 

I came to in the car as Alyssa was driving along some of the back streets in the seedier part of town. Where she was taking me, I couldn't tell. Not until she pulled up in front of the building. It was the building of one Dr Maria Cameron. I had read the files kept on her, but I hadn't personally met her. I knew that she was a supplier to Torelli, one of the Baron's underlings. At least she was in the same circle of work as I was. Alyssa helped me inside, but without an invite the Winter Mantle was forced to recede back, and all of the pain flooded back. I passed out once more.

Consciousness came back to me once I had my injuries seen to, and Dr Cameron was kind enough to invite me formally into her place of work. I had never been so happy to feel the mantle of the Winter Knight, but I had to be warned by Dr Cameron not to act so hastily when it came to dealing with my injuries. The one thing that I could be happy about was that we had given as good as we got. It had been injured, and if it was injured, it was bleeding, and if it was bleeding we could best it.

Once we were ready, we headed back out. I knew that it was going to be licking its wounds, and I also knew it liked woodland areas. The closest woodlands was at a development project reasonably close to where we had last seen it. It was likely to go there and try to hide. We needed to get close and get him properly this time. I first had to determine if he was in the forest, and it was easy to find a blood trail. I returned to report to Alyssa, and she informed me that we had been followed by Dr Cameron, and enquired if we should take the good doctor with us. Considering that we were both injured, a third person would be preferable than potentially losing one of us due to injury.

Either way I knew what I had to do, and I wrapped myself in the best glamour that I had ever performed. This time he wouldn't see me coming, and we would get him. I led the way, holding some chalk to show my position, and we eventually came across the half breed in the form of an Elk. Dr Cameron tried to befriend it, to trick it into getting within striking range of her syringe, but it wasn't to be fooled, it charged her, and she quickly raised her weapon and shot it. It was an illegal acquisition, the Baron would be proud to know that. I prepared to use some Unseelie magic to send it to sleep, just as Alyssa lined up a shot and clipped the half breed's wing.

We had it at last!

Thanks to some timely preparation Alyssa had just what we needed; thorn manacles. The one item that could stop magic users dead. Or at least their use of magic, death wasn't usually the requirement for those that hunted this kind of power. We fastened the manacles on, and chucked him in the trunk of the car, and Alyssa called ahead to alert the Baron that we had his prize. Mab had wanted the threat removed, she never said how. The Baron wanted it questioned. We would deal with his request first, then with the half breed's remains. 

As we arrived, the good doctor requested of the Baron that once the interrogation was done, that she would receive the remains, which the Baron surprisingly agreed to, and to me that I should give up my claim on the body as payment for her medical attention earlier that day. I was happy to do so, as it removed the debt owed to Dr Cameron. I knew that I would be questioned by the Baron later once I returned to my place in the Outfit. Until then I had to give my report to Queen Mab. We watched as Mr Hendricks and Ms Gard took away the part Naagloshii to be interrogated.

True to his word, Mr Marcone returned the body to the good doctor, by way of Ms Gard, who gave suitable warnings against getting onto Harry Dresden's radar, and also that Baron Marcone was curious about what she was going to do, but that she was free to do as she pleased as long as it didn't conflict with his rules or interests. In any rate Queen Mab would need to know about this new player straddling the supernatural lines in Chicago. Pity help me if she found out from another just what I had discovered.


	2. A Small Favour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia and Alyssa return from a job to a horrifying discovery.
> 
> (Loosely following the canon of Small Favor)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our RP version of Small Favor

It had been a long day, but it was worth getting rid of a threat to my... the Baron. A rogue wizard had been hired by Mr Morelli, my... the Baron's counterpart in Boston. He had tried, and failed, to hex Mr Marcone to death. I doubt that he was aware of the fact that the Baron had hired a Valkyrie for his supernatural security. She had both foxed, and tracked him back to his hidey hole. We were given the task of... removing the piece from the board.

It was surprisingly easy to kill him. He hadn't expected that, not only would his attempt fail, but that we would actually find him. We shot the trouble, he didn't know he was done until it was too late for him to respond. He didn't even try to levy his curse, not that he could from what I knew about death curses. We then started back to Chicago, and that was when it happened. I got a text message from Guard. She told me something... unsettling. It read: Boss taken. It also had a google maps pin to an address. I recognised it, as a matter of course. It was one of the Baron's renovation projects.

That could only have meant one thing: someone, or something, had made a run at Gentleman Johnny Marcone, and it had waited until I was out of Chicago. Or that was what the mantle of the Winter Knight thought. I had a nice chat with it, trying to explain that the world didn't revolve around it. It thought I was mad. While this was happening I had told Alyssa to step on the gas, that it was urgent, and she had obliged me once she heard about Gard's message, and we arrived as soon as we could.

I almost wished that we didn't. The building was in ruins, and this was where Gard had sent us. Had my... the Baron been taken from in there? I could see that the fire fighters were dousing the fires and bricks. I just watched beside Alyssa as we saw the bystanders moving around. We were then approached by an overly cheerful young looking lady. She approached us, and I ignored her in order to watch every detail. It was that little bit of information gathering that got me to see the arrival of my least favourite detective: the newly demoted Sergeant Murphy. I felt a smirk cross my face as I nudged Alyssa. I saw the strange woman walking over to Murphy and chat with her for a moment, a moment later and I saw Murphy looking over at us, and then motioned for us to join her. I don't think that she was expecting us to jeer at her. What can I say, it's a natural reaction to good... well bad for her, news.

We watched as she stormed off in the direction of her car. I looked at Alyssa, and we had our own job. Gard had told us in another message, responding to Alyssa's use of my phone, that they were at the back up safe house. Or in her words the vackup safe horse. She must have been badly injured to be this sloppy. I was concerned for her safety, and that of Hendricks. I wanted them to be safe, I needed to get to them. To do that, we needed to get to them, and the snow made using Alyssa's Jeep impossible to use in the drifts. On foot it had to be. 

We needed to walk a lot to get there, but it would be worth it. I noticed Alyssa was looking around her suspiciously, she was more sensitive than I was for people following us. It was why we made a good team. I was good at spotting locations, she for people. We found ourselves in an alley, soon followed by the strange woman that had been friendly to Murphy. It was then that it began.

An Einherjar touted around the corner with a barrel of, what I presumed was, ale. Then black feathers fell from the sky, like someone plucked every raven in Chicago. Then he made his appearance. The Einherjar with the keg I knew, it was Jorgen. Thank goodness I knew one of them. Jorgen gave us all ale, including handing ale to an area of air, which took the tankard, and it disappeared. I then tried to see who had followed us, but that was interrupted by the arrival of my Queen. Queen Mab, the Queen of the Unseelie Court, of air and darkness. Without a moment of hesitation, I dropped to my knee before her, looking at the ground. She was my true boss, but one that had little issue of me moonlighting for the Baron. In fact, it likely made her happy to have someone that would give her news should she request it.

This time she had a request to make of me... of us. She showed us a snow version of a hologram. It was of the building we had just been to, but it was hale and hearty. We watched as the Baron, his second, and Gard arrived. That they fired at those that followed them, that they fled into the building, that they were securing themselves inside. That they were trapped. The baron needed a better foxhole. I told the Winter Knight to shut up. 

The Queen implored us to rescue the Baron, and I had a very... personal reason to do so. He was mine, after all. I grumbled quietly about being in the process of doing something, but the Queen just carried on over my quiet grumblings. Then she was gone. She was gone, but we were not alone. I looked back the way we had come, and I saw something that I didn't want to see. There were two figures staring at us. When I looked at the other side there were two more. I had better things to do than play with Summer's agents. 

The Winter Mantle had a different idea. 

As I tried to get a hold of the fire escape, my fingers froze into claws, and my grip slipped, and I fell to the ground. Alyssa tried to do the same and failed also. Well we were now in the fray whether we liked it or not. We watched as the four, what I recognised to be Gruffs, charged in, and I knew that things were going to be nasty, messy. 

We fought them. Home made Molotov cocktails were used, pen-swords, magic, both mortal and Unseelie. We fought well together, and I would later learn the names of my cohorts. The fae that had glamoured herself to follow us was Beck, the mortal magic user was Kyoko, and the other Einherjar I didn't recognise was named Anton. 

We had a job to do, and we left the alley. We had to walk onwards, towards what we needed to know, towards victory.

What we didn't see was Kyoko no longer following us. That she had disappeared into a Way. That she had left us.


	3. Close Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia and Alyssa run into some trouble while trying to deal with the capture of John Marcone.

We went our separate ways. I couldn't understand why people were so willing to let my boss burn. True he wasn't the best man in the world, but he tried his best to keep the streets safe. Why couldn't they see that? Alyssa and myself made our way back to her Jeep, and we drove off, trying to find a place to sit in the warmth and work out our next move. We found a Starbucks, went in, and ordered some drinks and we sat in a corner. We spoke quietly and Gladys brought over our coffees. We had to work out what was best for us in the here and now. 

What I didn't expect was the next person to walk in the door. I recognised him immediately, and even if I didn't the Winter Knight would have. It was Fix, my Summer counterpart, and he was walking right towards us... once he ordered a coffee. He approached us, and we had a nice little chat. I guess he was quite happy to speak as much as Titania would allow. He told Alyssa to leave town within the day as she had an option to get involved. My friend declared that she had given her word to help me get Mr Marcone back, and I'd like to think that he understood. He did something to my necklace, which was a gift from Mr Marcone, saying he could only give me 24 hours. I just hoped that it was enough. He left just as our pies arrived. With the pie and mocha... I think McAnally has a substantial rival in the works.

Almost as soon as we left I got a phone call. From Executive Priority Health. Mr Marcone's... health club. Seemingly Demeter was in a spot of bother with Torelli. I wanted to just leave her be, but I knew that Mr Marcone wouldn't be best pleased if he needed to get another... madam. I'd be more than happy to replace her in other areas of Mr Marcone's life. Specifically his bed. Yet he still had a use for her. I gave Alyssa the address and we took off.

We eventually arrived, and I buzzed us in, and one of Demeter's working girls met us, and walked with us to Demeter's office. There were two goons on guard outside. We dealt with them in the best way possible. We brought out weapons and dealt with them, and then Torelli left the office. He thought it was a good idea to try and threaten us. We threatened back. And better. I watched in glee as he scurried away. I looked back at Demeter, who thanked us. She would, and could, never know that I saved her ass just for the man that I had such deep feelings for. We sauntered back to the Jeep, and we carried on to the safe house where it was more than likely Hendricks and Gard were likely to be.

I think I spent the entire ten minute drive complaining about that bitch. How could I not? I both hated her, and was so envious of her. I just hoped that one day that I would take over her position in Mr Marcone's affections, or at least in his bed. I shook my head slightly as we arrived at the house. I shook my head as we exited the car, and then Alyssa told me that something wasn't right. She went scouting, while I decided that it was best to make our presence known to Miss Gard and Mr Hendricks. She finished her scouting just as I reached the door, and I knocked soundly. The door opened, and a shotgun was pointed at my chest. I called him out on it, and his response was to stick me with an iron nail.

That. Fucking. Hurt. I made sure that he knew it too. He was my teacher, he should have known that it was me. However I could never hold a grudge with Mr Marcone's right hand man. He taught me everything I knew about the business... well not entirely him. Miss Gard and Mr Marcone also played their part in teaching me over the last five years. I felt my cheeks slightly redden with the memories. I had it bad for my boss, even I had to admit that one. I was allowed to go upstairs to see Miss Gard. I offered to help her with her disembowelment, but she declined multiple times. We got somewhat in the middle of a conversation when the window shattered and a giant insect entered, hurting my friend in the process. We had a quick fight, with Alyssa bursting in to help. We managed to best her, and get Miss Gard downstairs. I must admit I like her axe, and I just hope that I could get such a fine blade, or other kind of weapon. At least until I found out what she had done to get such a blade.

After a time, the insect called that it wanted to parley. We gave it our word that we would do no harm to it, and instead we spoke. Turns out that the insect was a woman, or at least was one once. Again Alyssa was offered a chance to leave. Again she refused, and I had to give the woman credit, she was brilliant. She could have left, she could have done so much than stay here. When the insect left, I was ready for it to betray us. It charged down the stairs again, as one of its friends burst in through the front. Alyssa dealt with her. I took care of her... friend. Unfortunately the thing vomited a coin at me, and it was as though my hand moved by itself and I caught the coin.

Eventually we made a break for it, we got to the Jeep and drove off. We did not expect to be followed. Alyssa drove faster, and Mr Hendricks shot at the thing. I don't know whether he hit it or not, but the Jeep screeched to a halt in front of a man, who drew a saber, and it shone. It was so bright, and it made me itch for some reason. It made the other things retreat. The man was tall, and a person of colour. I felt something cringe inside when I thought of him. Then another joined the first, and I felt something seething inside, and I had no reason to dislike these men... but still... it felt... instinctive. I just didn't like these men. We were told that they could help Miss Gard, and so we followed them. 

We lay her on a cot in the workshop of Mr Carpenter. It was then that I showed what I caught to the younger of the men, who just recoiled at the sight. I asked him what it was, and he explained that it was a very bad thing. That there would be a hard time ahead, and that it would want my soul. I already had one... parasite feeding off me. The Winter Knight was demanding, and now I had this fallen angel in my head. Would I even have a chance with... him if he found out about all this shit? I handed over the coin of Araziel to Sanya immediately. Sanya then told me that it wasn't enough, and that I would have to fight him for an exceptionally long time, and that I should speak to Dresden about it.

I decided that I would go to a, hopefully, better source. I left the workshop and headed to the snowiest, darkest, part of the property. I then called out to her. To Mab, the Queen of the Unseelie Court, the Queen of Air and Darkness. When my Lady appeared, I told her what had transpired, and she made a game of my... position. She gave me a gift though, an ear piercing of an icy sapphire. I couldn't understand why she just wanted to watch her own Knight be corrupted by a another power. 

Was this really just a game to her, or was this a test?


	4. Friends Old and New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyssa and Amelia reach out to an old friend, and forge new alliances.

Alyssa got a call from Maria Cameron, one of Mr Marcone's suppliers, whom he paid off in monster bits... at least in part. I vaguely remembered her help with the part bred Naagloshii a few months ago. She had patched me up, and I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of it sooner. She could help with Miss Gard's injuries. Though it seemed that she was needing our help first. It seemed that she had been having... issues of her own. Probably Torelli. We went over, but by the time that we arrived, she had everything under control. We simply... encouraged Torelli to leave, then we collected Maria and went back to the Carpenters' once she had her gear. 

After a conversation about sleep, both Sanya and Mr Hendricks grabbed me and held me so Alyssa could drug me. I ended up passing out from the drugs, and then I found myself in a winter landscape, walking through it like I had when in Winter's lands. It was then that I heard the other sounds around me, as though I was being tracked. I walked into a clearing, and I saw a... cavewoman version of myself, but with hair the colour of the first snow of winter. Feral and wild, she was the Winter Knight. We had a nice little chat about the new... guest, and then he appeared. At first I thought that he was Mr Marcone. He was as well dressed as my biggest crush, and at first glance he could pass for him, but a closer inspection revealed a few differences. Mr Marcone had a clearly masculine face, while Raziel did not, his eyes was a bright green, and he looked younger. His hair wasn't greying, though I had a feeling that if he wanted to, it would be identical.

He talked with us... me for a bit, and the Winter Knight made her feelings rather clear. She charged at him, and in return was turned into a large snow leopard. We then carried on chatting quietly, as he tried what all his kin did. Tried to tempt me into corruption. I wasn't buying it. I couldn't just give him control over me. Not a thing like that. I was human, at least now I was. I wasn't like that, I couldn't be like that.

I soon woke up from the nightmare. I was back in the workshop, and I sat up on the cot. We had food and drink, and then I got a call from Sergeant Murphy, she wanted to meet with me and those working with me at McAnally's, and that she wanted to help. We went to leave and then we heard a sneeze. I thought that it was Maria, but she didn't do it, and instead Maria revealed the eldest Carpenter to us. When we talked to her she said that she would get in contact with the White Council. It was then that we left in order to meet up with Murphy. We couldn't help but go by the newly discovered Starbucks to introduce Maria to it.

Once we got our coffees we carried on to the pub, we placed orders for drinks and steak sandwiches, and we waited for Murphy's arrival. We didn't have to wait long, and then she told us why she wanted to help. She recognised that Mr Marcone was better now than he would be should he be convinced to join the Denarians. Finally we were on the same page, and she vowed to help us to get him back. I wonder if she knew just how much that meant to me. I didn't feel the alert my usual senses would have told me of Summer's approach. I paled as the giant Gruff forced himself through the door, and moved over to us. He threatened me a little, and I was surprised to see Murphy stand up for me, threatening the Gruff. I was more surprised when the Gruff backed off. I was glad, but surprised. I believe that the mortal term was that we got trashed, or sloshed, or something like that. So much so that Alyssa couldn't legally drive. I had fun watching Murphy dump some kind of sober all down Alyssa's throat before we headed off.

We returned to the Carpenters home, and we went into the workshop again. I saw that Gard was looking much better, and Mr Hendricks was resting. I grinned as Molly came into the workshop. She had spoken to a member of the White Council, who had decided to help back us up. I felt like everything was going to be fine. I hoped that the feeling was true, that everything would be okay. That I could get Mr Marcone back, that I could get rid of this... uncomfortable presence in my head. I wanted to be able to, maybe someday, tell him just how I felt. I kept that thought to myself. How could any of the others in this room know how I felt. 

Then the questions turned to Miss Gard, that she was likely to have blood, hair or some other kind of way to track Mr Marcone and the important ones in the Outfit. Once more, it was Alyssa who thought of that. She was certainly better at thinking in a crisis than I was... or maybe it was just that I was too involved. These days I was in such a panic and all over that mortal. 

I must be out of my mind... or is that minds now? Who could say?


	5. Stationary Impact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our group of... heroes? Go to collect some requires samples.

While the council had been willing to help, that didn't mean that we could afford to just... well... hang around and await their arrival. There were a few more things that we could try doing in the mean time, and one of them involved Miss Gard's personal stash of blood and other assorted DNA. It was I who approached the Valkyrie when she was awake, and convinced her that it was a good idea to let us at least attempt to use them if the White Council didn't appear that day, and so that led us to now, where we were sitting in the car, driving along at a good pace. Alyssa, Sanya, and myself.

Then there was a thwack as something hit the windscreen. Then rolled down and off, and soon Alyssa's pickup died. Great. Now we were out here, stuck in Alyssa's, now dead, form of transport, with a Faerie attacker. I let Alyssa deal with the pixie while I called for an Outfit mechanic to do a collect and deliver. Sometimes it helps to be a member of the Mob, its not often a hindrance until it comes to cops. They towed the truck, and we were left with a pinky-red ball of light. That had attacked the truck. With scissors. 

We learned that she was named Luna, and for a pixie she was kinda cute, even I had to admit that one, but just as we were about to head off, I shit you not a dude on a mechanical horse appeared. I couldn't make this up even if I tried! He introduced himself as Bernard Leithreign, and that he had to save the damsels in distress. I don't know who the fuck he thinks he is, but do I look like a damsel in distress to you? Forget I asked that.

So we went to the station, where Miss Gard said that the samples were kept, and we parked in the nigh empty car park... or was that stabled for the mechanical horse? What do you do when you don't ride one? It's best not to think of it just now. So we walked into the station at any rate, and I was keen to get this underway so we could get back to the workshop and try working out just what to do next. That was when he appeared. The fricken fallen angel in my brain, and in a way I was thankful, for no sooner had he appeared than the lights went out. I used his powers to restore some kind of vision to me, rather what I had seen before as we walked about. Until we were attacked. By Hobs. By my own bloody court!

So not only did we have to get the goods, but we had to fight Hobs, and save innocent lives... why was my life never easy? Anyway a job had to be done, and we fought our way through creatures of the night. Yes snort at that... Gard has been trying to get me to watch what she calls pup culture classics. Thanks to the Russian, we found ourselves fighting through the mob, saving a child, and then her classmates, as well as getting... acquainted with one Harry Dresden, along with the neutral party the While Council had sent; the Archive. Also her bodyguard and protector. I vaguely recognised him. In most circles he was often referred to as the Hellhound, one of the most callous, but a professional callousness I suppose, men known. He was a mercenary, and a bloody scary one at that.

The little girl, the Archive, accused me of doing... well... summoning the Hobs as a welcoming party to her arrival in Chicago, something that I assured her that I had no part in doing, something that the scary little girl accepted. I suspected that this scary little girl could... well... lets put it this way... I feel like I would prefer to be the Hellhound's victim than hers. The next job, however, were the blood samples. Surely that would be easy, right? Go to the lockers, open the locker, avoid Miss Gard's secret surprise, and then back to the Carpenters. Easy, right? Well when we were heading to the lockers, we saw a rather librarian-looking sexy woman on a platform, obviously waiting on a train that was arriving, and we saw a familiar face getting off the train. We had only seen Anton Retco the previous day? I think it was the previous day? Was it really? Was it jut yesterday that he had been kidnapped? I can't remember any more. The woman introduced herself as Rachel Raith... Raith, as in the leading house of the White Court of vampires? 

With the saving of the damsels, Bernard decided that his time of heroics had passed, and he disappeared into the night. After calling his butler to get him some clean clothing... Yet our business was yet to be concluded with this

However, just as we had been getting the samples, the Gruff from before barrelled his way in and attacked. First Winter, now Summer? What on earth was the world coming to? I just want to get my, rather delightful on the eye boss back. The two new additions to the group were interesting... I never through about using a locomotive to take down a faerie before... However I also did not expect one of the number to be a White Court vampire. 

The Gruff stood no chance. I never realised that the come hither of a White Court succubus was strong enough to tempt even one of Summer's stalwart champions. Thank goodness she seemed to be on our side, however I think she had quite the effect on Retco, as they started screwing. While alarms were blaring, and sirens, and... Well lets just say that we had to practically drag them away with us so we all didn't get... well arrested. At least we had the neutral party in Chicago that we could potentially use to get Mr Marcone back. 

We went our separate ways, Dresden with the Archive and the Hellhound, and we returned to the Carpenters'. It was yet another uncomfortable night, but this time with added Einherjar and vampire... who seemed to be getting involved for the sake of an orgy... They wanted to save Mr Marcone to get me into an orgy... or him into an orgy... Why did there have to be an orgy? Did they really not know who Mr Marcone really was? 

It was the following day when we were contacted by the Archive, and advised of the meeting place with the Denarians... in the local aquarium. Well that would be an interesting time.

I didn't know how right that statement would be.


	6. Some Fishy Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The meeting in the Aquarium

We all found our way to the aquarium, and we were met by Dresden, and Murphy outside. When we entered the Hellhound met us. There was something said about Hawaii between him and Murphy. I couldn't help but eye up the tiny Lieutenant. She bagged the Hellhound? No... seemingly she BANGED the Hellhound. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous that she was getting more than I was... then again I wanted some from a very specific source that this meeting was supposed to help reclaim. As the named aggrieved party I, along with Alyssa, Rachel, Anton, and Luna were asked to meet with Nicodemus, the leader of the Denarians.

We talked for a bit, but something just felt... off. I couldn't put my finger on it, he just seemed to be... I don't know... charming? It wasn't until Alyssa grabbed my arm and whispered that it seemed to be like a diversion or something that I realised what I had been feeling. He was a very eloquent, and elegant distraction! If he wanted us here, that meant that there was something happening elsewhere in the aquarium! That meant that maybe, just maybe, their target, their true target, was finally here. The Archive! They were after the Archive!

As we ran back to where the Archive had been, I called for Dresden and the others that something was happening, but only Dresden responded in a quick enough fashion. The three of us barely made it in time before some major piece of spell work was done, and we were cut off from the outside world. I couldn't even open a Way into the Nevernever. So... I guess we had to do this the old fashioned way of kicking ass. We had to protect the girl and keep her safe. 

The fight was brutal. It was mean, nasty, and brutal, and we realised all too late that the child was being targetted as gas was filling the place. We needed to get her out before we all succumbed to the gas! We had to fight off the feelings of drowsiness and lethargy, but it was all for naught. We all fell anyway, and the child was lost. The last thing I remembered was Dresden breaking the glass of the dolphin enclosure, and then I was out.

I came to after coughing up salty water all over Murphy, who looked none too pleased. “Did you get her?” I asked, as I pushed myself up. “Ivy, did you get her?” From the look on their faces, it wasn't so. I made a small noise of annoyance, and got to my feet. We had two people to save now, not just my boss. When we left the aquarium, Retco and Rachel was nowhere to be seen, they were probably having sex somewhere. Instead of waiting on them, we went back to the Carpenters, and hoped to get into contact with Nicodemus. At the same time as being told by Luna how badly Nicodemus had his ass kicked.

We talked about what exactly we could offer to trade if it came to it. We had some 15 denarian coins, along with Fidelacchius, though ideally we didn't want to use that chip unless we had to. It was that evening that Nicodemus called, asking me to meet him outside, lest one of my allies get harmed, and so I left, along with Dresden's woolly mammoth of a dog. I'm certain that I could have rode him outside. I spoke with the leader of the Denarians, and eventually we came to an agreement to trade the coins and the sword, for Mr Marcone and the Archive. He gave us a time and a place to be to be transported to where Mr Marcone and Ivy were being kept

I didn't trust him one bit, but I had to play his little game. For Mr Marcone I had to do more than just play his game. I had to play, and I had to win.

Soon after he departed did our hypersexual friends return, and then Rachel did the most stupid of things, she pulled a Denarian from the bag. Great, just great, there were two of us now. At least I wasn't stupid enough to willingly take one, right? Thankfully Michael took the others away before Retco could get his hands on one too. That boy really had some kind of inferiority complex, he seemed determined to... well... be special... Sometimes it was best to be unnoticed. I much preferred when I was a simple changeling to the Winter Knight. Life was simpler then, more forgiving. I didn't have so many enemies, and I was more able to watch... him from afar. Now... anything could happen and I was running scared that something would happen to Mr Marcone that I couldn't help him face against... How could I ask him to be more if I couldn't protect him?


	7. Deserted Island Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter of the roleplay sessions for Small Favor.

We left the house for the church where we were supposed to meet the denarian, Rosanna. Alyssa decided to go with Gard to make sure that everything was in place on that side of the mission. I still missed her though, she was like my right hand, absolutely perfect for turning loose on enemies. The trip was going fine... until we got out onto Lake Michigan. What else were there but Kelpies. Damned things were horrible, but seeing them in open water... I even found it hard to call on Winter's power on open water. Thankfully the Knights of the Cross were better at handling such beasts, and soon we landed on the island. 

We followed Madam Clipclop up the hill towards the bonfire, and soon we were standing before the last remaining denarians. The most wily of denarians. The most dead of denarians if I had my say. I let Dresden do the talking as I scoured the landscape for any sign of my boss, and the little girl. The only place that I could imagine them being was at the old dilapidated lighthouse, and when Anduriel pulled away, it showed that I was correct. I could see the poor child tormented in the short length of time that they had taken her, but more heart wrenching was my boss. He was tied up, and was battered, bruised, and if I hadn't seen the small movements, at this distance I would have thought that he was dead. Those bastards were lucky that he was alive. I would have murdered every last one of them had he been killed. Thhe fight began ever so quickly, with Dresden popping what looked like a flare, before he tackled the crippled Denarian. Retco took on Nicodemus, Rachel took on Deirdre, and both Rosanna and Tessa disappeared. 

That didn't interfere in the plans. I intended on getting Mr Marcone to safety, as with the child. They needed to get to safety. I ran over there with the two Knights of the Cross as backup in case Tessa and Rosanna appeared. I called forth some Malks, who brutally mauled the beasts scaring the girl, and then I told them to go and have... fun. I knew that they knew what I meant. I knew that most of the denarian forces would never see the light of tomorrow. I didn't really care. My thoughts were on the little girl and the man that they had allowed to be tortured. I broke the pretty, shiny, prison holding the Archive captive, and I caught her as the explosion threw her free. I pressed her into the arms of Mr Marcone once she had been wrapped up in Michael's cloak, and Mr Marcone in Sanya's.

It was then that we heard the sweet, sweet, sound of Wagner, and of covering fire. I started guiding Mr Marcone and the girl to the rendezvous point to get them to safety. Sadly it was about that time that the blindness wore off the men we were facing, and their shots became more accurate. Hendricks lowered the winch with a harness attached. Mr Marcone tried to convince me to take Ivy and head up, but I refused and argued that he should go up. He was injured, and the girl was traumatised. I promised to follow behind him, and so I did, with Michael following behind, being shot by the revealed Rosanna, and we rushed him into the helicopter, before dropping the harness once more, getting Sanya and Rachel before we left the island. We just hoped that Dresden would be safe. If not... well that was one less threat to Mr Marcone.

As we flew over the lake, we saw, what first appeared to be a falling meteor, which actually seemed to be Retco and Nicodemus. We flew over, and picked up Retco from the lake, and took him with us to the hospital. Nothing could possibly go wrong there, now, could it?

We arrived at the closest hospital, and Michael, Ivy, and Mr Marcone was wheeled away to be checked up, or in Michael's case straight into an operating theatre. Before he was wheeled in, however, both Rachel and Retco harangued Mr Marcone about their damned orgy, something that he was in no shape to take part in even if he was willing to. Thankfully he told them he wasn't in the best of shapes. That they would have to have their orgy without him, and I had no intentions on attending even if he had. 

What can I say, I'm a one creature monster.

I went to check up on Mr Marcone later that day, with my obnoxious sassy gay best friend, or so he would like me to think. I sat beside a sleeping John Marcone for a while, and under encouragement from Raziel, I covered his hand with mine. It was then that Raziel raised the seeming that he had draped over the room, and I saw that my boss hadn't been asleep at all. I made to flee the room, but a single word had me stop in my tracks, and take my seat again. He bade me to explain myself, and so I told him the whole story about my newest... acquisition in my head.

I was most surprised at his reaction. I expected him to treat the news with revulsion. To treat me with revulsion. Instead he seemed to be genuinely curious how the new arrangement would turn out. I promised him that I would do everything I could to keep everything balanced, and him under control. 

How couldn't I promise him, the man of my dreams, that I would everything in my power to please him?


End file.
